In a continual effort to improve its service to dealers and end users, Zero 88 has appointed Silvio Scerri as Mediterranean market manager. Silvio joins Zero 88 from Nexos Lighting in Malta where he has been responsible for Zero 88 product sales for the past four years. Fluent in regional languages and with an in-depth knowledge of the Southern European lighting market, he will bring a new focus to Zero 88’s presence in the Mediterranean region.

Another new face is Catherine Thomas, who joins Zero 88 at its Cwmbran base as a sales coordinator. Catherine has a background in customer service and is fluent in French. Joining her as a sales coordinator is Bev Jones who many will already know from her past role as Zero’s receptionist. Following a period of training, Catherine and Bev will take over as the sales co-ordination team for Zero 88 and Selecon UK. This will enable Lor

Blake W. Augsburger has been appointed president of Crown Audio. The announcement came from Mark Terry, Harman Professional Group president. Reporting to Terry, Augsburger is responsible for overseeing and directing the entire Crown Audio operation. The manufacturer's three vice-presidents (engineering, marketing and sales) and three senior vice-presidents (financial, manufacturing and human resources) all now report directly to Augsburger.

Prior to joining Crown, Augsburger was vice-president and general manager for two high voltage test and measurement equipment manufacturers - Hipotronics of Brewster, New York and Haefely Test AG of Basel, Switzerland - both Hubbell Incorporated companies. His seven-year tenure with Hubbell, which also included VP positions in engineering, operations and worldwide sales and marketing, was preceded by five years spent with San Diego's Maxwell Laborat

Joe Cabrera, who spent the summer of 2000 as an intern at AC Lighting Inc in Los Angeles, has now joined the company full time. Joe will be working alongside Mario Collazo and Mike Falconer on technical support and training on the company’s range of high technology products, such as the MA Lighting grandMA range, Zero 88 and Jands lighting control consoles. Joe is a recent graduate from the Florida State University School of Theatre where he received bachelors in Theater. When he was not acting on stage, Joe could be found behind the console of many a show throughout his High School and College careers. One of his first tasks was to get involved with AC Lighting's ongoing program of operator training on the grandMA range of consoles. Joe has also been testing the new Version 2.6 software for the grandMA console as part of MA Lighting's strict and intensive testing program of all be

Telex EVI Germany has appointed Christian Greß to the position of export sales assistant. His responsibilities include sales and customer support for all the Telex brands in west and eastern Europe, African and the Middle East. Greß joins Telex EVI with a wealth of experience in the pro audio field having spent the last five years as a professional sound technician. His extensive product knowledge combined with the fact of being a musicianhimself, makes him a valuable resource for Telex EVI and their customers.

Tomcat has recruited two new members to its US sales team. Trent Stoker will be handling the South East region and Mike Regan will be handling the North East region of the United States. Stoker, originally from El Paso, attended the University of Texas in Austin obtaining a BS in Advertising. He previously served as sales rep for a software company, Vignette. Regan, residing in Evergreen, Colorado for the past few years, has been in the industry for over 30 years touring with dozens of bands. He also spent time with FM Productions, Feld Entertainment and worked as a grip for Miami Vice. More recently, he owned his own company, Regan Design Associates, and traveled all over the world coordinating events and productions.

Ballantyne of Omaha, Inc, a leading manufacturer of motion picture projection and speciality lighting equipment, has announced the appointment of Greg Smith as vice-president of Strong Entertainment Lighting. Smith, who has worked for Ballantyne for three years, will continue to be based in North Hollywood, California, and will be responsible for the Strong spotlight products, Ballantyne’s SkyTracker and Nocturn products, as well as the Xenotech Britelight products. The company has also announced that Ron Lutsock will head up the company’s North Hollywood Xenotech office.

Smith first came into contact with Strong spotlights during his time as logistic sdirector for Supertramp and other artists during the 1980s. He began his career in the promotion and marketing department of A&M Records in Hollywood.

Howard Eaton Lighting Ltd (HELL) has announced the appointment of Nigel Love to its Sussex-based team. Love brings with him many years of theatrical experience, having worked for several years as chief electrician with the English National Opera, and as head of lighting and later production controller for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s operations at the Barbican. More recently, he has worked with Northern Light where, among other projects, he project managed the lighting, sound and comms installations at the Lowry.

Philip Hart, president of Harman Pro Group International until December 31 last year, has joined Turbosound as non-executive chairman. He replaces Michael O’Flynn, who retired on July 17, but who retains his directorship and shareholding in the Sussex-based loudspeaker company.

Commenting on the new appointment, Turbosound's managing director, Alan Wick, told PLASA Media: "We are pleased to be able to fill the breach left by Michael’s departure with a man of Philip Hart’s stature, and experience in pro audio.This is a very well-timed move which will further expedite our growth and enable us to fulfil our potential in the competitive loudspeaker market. We had been working with 3i, our major investors, to find a suitable replacement and Philip’s name really stood out.

"Michael O’Flynn’s association with Turbosound extends back to 1984 and

Following successful sales of its Megascreen product into the screen rental and advertising markets, Unitek is planning major investment in further product development, marketing and the appointment of strategic partners in its key market areas.

To strengthen and advise the Board, Philip Parker, an experienced quoted company chairman and CEO, joins Unitek as a non-executive director. Parker has a broad business background in sectors as varied as IT, electronics, training, financial services, security, oil services and consulting. He has led public and private enterprises, been involved in both venture capital and public equity fund raising and is experienced in corporate strategy, restructuring and focusing on shareholder value.

After graduating from Cambridge with a law degree he worked for 15 years in the computer industry - initially with IBM and then Sperry Univac, for the mos

Sennheiser Electronics Corporation (SEC) has promoted Jeff Alexander to director of distributed brands. In the newly created position, Alexander adds Neumann and True Systems to the Sennheiser brands he is already managing: DAS, Chevin, and Innova-Son. By picking up the former two brands, Alexander fills a void left by the recent promotion of Karl Winkler, who is now director of marketing communications.

Alexander began his career at SEC nearly 10 years ago as the product manager for Neumann. After five years in this position, he left the company to work as the touring sound sales manager and marketing manager for Crest Audio in New Jersey. Upon his return to Sennheiser, Alexander focused on DAS, Chevin, and Innova-Son, in an effort to pioneer these lines into the US. He now has the responsibility of developing a complete organizational structure that plays to the strengths of Sennheis

Kurt Kern has joined TMB’s sales department, working out of the New York office. Kern brings a wealth of experience in entertainment lighting to his new position. His background includes three years as department head of electrics and sound for the New York Shakespeare Festival and seven years as production manager for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, his four years as national director of purchasing for PRG/Fourth Phase Lighting Group, gave Kurt direct understanding of the needs of the supply side of the industry. Tommy Stephenson, TMB’s sales manager, said of the appointment: "Kurt has a lot of knowledge, is a family man, and he likes beer. He’s going to fit right in! Our professional customers will feel completely at home with him."

Chad Ward has joined Bandit Lites UK as operations manager. He was previously responsible for Bandit’s account whilst he was a sales representative for Wirral-based Tomcat UK. Bandit Lites UK general manager, Jason Tang, told PLASA Media: "Chad brings with him a wealth of knowledge from his time with Tomcat and previously Unusual Rigging. We have a very strong relationship with Tomcat and this move can only strengthen it." Ward will be responsible for procurement, logistics and also act as purchasing manager.

The continuing expansion of Philips CSI’s range of communications products has resulted in a major restructuring and strengthening of the UK sales team with two new appointments in a move which focuses all communications sales activity into a single new Communications group responsible for the company’s fast growing range of Sound and Public Address, Paging, Intercom and Congress equipment.

Alfred van Wyk has been appointed national sales manager and Paul Ward is now southern regional sales manager. van Wyk takes overall responsibility for all UK sales of PA, intercom, paging and congress systems. He was previously sales manager for Philips PA and Congress products for the North and already has extensive experience with Philips products and markets. He will also continue to focus his personal efforts in the North whilst managing the overall sales activity based in Sunbury.

It appears that Bob Cashill is no longer editor of Lighting Dimensions magazine. In a notice posted on the publication’s website, a brief statement says that on July 28, publisher Jacqueline Tien appointed David Barbour to head up the editorial staff for Lighting Dimensions. Barbour, a veteran of the Entertainment Design/Theatre Crafts and Lighting Dimensions team, has 11 years' experience with the publications. Prior to that he was the director of the Drama Desk Board, which is second only to the Tony Awards group. Cashill had been appointed editor of Lighting Dimensions in 1996. There is no mention of what his future plans might be.

West London based Ampekko continues to grow from strength to strength and, as part of their expansion into new premises, have recruited Pat Bradley to head their national sales division. With 25 years’ industry experience in the sales of complex integrated systems, Pat Bradley is well positioned to take on his new role and handle the UK sales of pro audio brands including SLS, from the United States, WHD from Germany and Commax from Korea. As Pat Bradley explained: "I’m so pleased to have joined Ampekko. As a young and forward-thinking organisation, we are committed to introducing these product ranges and expanding their market share. I’m looking forward to playing an active role in the company’s growth and establishing a strong dealer and distribution network across the UK. All of the product lines offer enormous potential across a wide range of systems desi

Darren DeVerna has joined PRG’s management team in the role of vice president, Production Resource Group, and will be supported by the resources of Fourth Phase New Jersey, ProMix Electrotec Mt. Vernon and Scenic Technologies New York. DeVerna, formerly the President of Four Star Lighting, has been involved with countless theatrical successes such as Annie Get Your Gun, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, The Full Monty, Contact, Kiss Me Kate, Rent, Music Man and many more. Originally employed as an IATSE Local 1 stage hand, his credits also include work with prominent charities, such as the Laurie Beechman Memorial Golf Outing, of which he is co-founder and co-chairman, and the Clearview School for Autistic Children.

In his new role, DeVerna will provide a high level of service and support to the extremely demanding Broadway and theatrica

Internationally recognized lighting designer Jeff Ravitz, principal of Visual Terrain Inc, has received a Prime Time Emmy Award nomination for his lighting design on the recent Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band special on HBO. Marking the first time Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have been presented in concert on television, the special was shot last summer in high-definition format during Springsteen's record-setting, 10-show sell-out at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The concert was the finale of their 1999-2000 world tour. Ravitz had designed the show lighting for the tour and was called in to adapt the design for the needs of television. To that end, he added a subtle amount of audience lighting to enhance that already used in the live show. The live performance uses colour liberally for the artists’ key lighting to reflect emotion and enhance the live s

UK distributor HW International has appointed Saffron Wynn-Jones to head its marketing department. Based at HW’s North London headquarters, Saffron will be responsible for all aspects of the marketing and work closely with world leading brands such as Shure, QSC, Phonic and PreSonus. Wynn Jones was formerly employed by pro audio reseller LMC Audio Systems as marketing manager.

Barrie Fraser, formerly of Federal Signal, has joined Next Two (part of MEDC Ltd) as export sales manager. Next Two was taken over by MEDC Ltd in August 2000. The company, an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer of manual, visual and audible alarms and loudspeakers for potentially explosive atmospheres and harsh industrial and marine environments, has invested in the business to secure future success in the market for loudspeakers to be used in industrial, commercial and leisure applications.

Audio Pro Nederland BV has announced the appointment of Peter de Fouw as a partner. De Fouw, until recently managing director of TM Audio Holland BV, will concentrate mainly on developing the distribution activities and increasing the product portfolio for Audio Pro. Rolf Dijkstra, owner and managing director of Audio Pro, and de Fouw have a history of cooperation, and feel that the combined experience will be a key element in the success of the partnership and their new plans.

Audio Analysts has appointed Bruce Eisenberg has as vice-president of touring. Eisenberg has been in the music industry for the past 25 years, and has worked with many major artist management companies and agencies. Bruce's experience and contacts with record company managers and booking agents will be a great help in acquiring major touring artists for Audio Analysts’ client base. Alan Eisenbach joins the company as the new market touring account executive. Eisenbach’s experience as Sound Engineer and Technical Coordinator for the Grizzly Rose in Denver, Colorado for the past five years has assisted in building a solid base of relationships to work with on a local and national level. "Alan’s contacts in the Rocky Mountain territory and with national touring acts will be a great asset in helping us develop the next generation of our touring clients," states A

Dugald (Doog) Mackenzie of HW International has been killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. Doog had worked for HW for just over four years as area sales manager for the Midlands and South Wales. He died on Sunday 2 September at just 34 years of age. He leaves behind him a wife and two young children. A book of condolence will be on the HW stand at PLASA which after the show will be presented to his family. Funeral details are yet to be confirmed.

JBL Professional President Michael MacDonald has announced the appointment of two vice-presidents of sales for the company's worldwide sales efforts and a new vice president of manufacturing operations. Doug Daniel and Tom Weeber have been promoted to VP of international sales and VP of US sales respectively, whilst Jeffery Groenke has been named VP of operations at the company's Northridge, CA headquarters.

Doug Daniel has been with JBL Professional since 1992 in the position of director of European sales and is a seasoned industry veteran. Weeber has been with the JBL sales department since 1993, where he started as regional manager and was later promoted to senior director of US sales. Prior to JBL, Groenke was general manager and engineering manager of Axiohm Transaction solutions and has also been an engineer for Hewlett Packard.

QSC Audio Products has named Derek Covin as its new manager of inside sales. A 13-year veteran of the pro audio industry, Covin will oversee the daily activities of sales associates based at QSC world headquarters in Southern California, and assist with the implementation of various sales and marketing programs such as special promotions and trade show preparation. "It's my goal to have this department function as an indispensable resource for both internal management and independent representatives in the field," Covin said. "As a vital link in the customer service chain, we'll constantly remain at hand to enhance and maintain our existing business relationships, as well as build new ones."

Covin comes to QSC from Alesis Studio Electronics, where he held a number of positions ranging from manager of global sales administration to western regional sales manager. Whi

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